Getting To Know You 1. Would you consider yourself a generous person? Explain. 2. What is your understanding of what the Bible says about giving/generosity? 3. Beth Moore said, “If your financial giving to your church is according to whether or not your pastor stays within the pet subjects and preferred perimeters, if you threaten to take your big wallet somewhere else if he doesn’t behave better, you are not giving. You are bribing”. Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? 4. Jack Wellman said, ''God commands us to give and be generous – but more importantly, He shows us how. God gave us everything we have: the world, our lives, Jesus. I encourage you to meditate on the supreme generosity of God”. Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? 5. C.S. Lewis said, “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare”. Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? 6. Tim Keller said, “A lack of generosity refuses to acknowledge that your assets are not really yours, but God’s”. Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? 7. Looking back at your notes from this week’s sermon, was there anything that particularly caught your attention, challenged or confused you? Digging Deeper 1. Jesus begins Matthew 6 with addressing the issue of practicing righteousness in front of others. Why does Jesus need to address this? What is going on at the time? Who are the individuals that Jesus is primarily speaking to here? Where is there heart at? What does Jesus say in Luke 21:1-4? How does this inform our understanding of giving and our heart behind it? 2. When it comes to giving to the poor/needy, what is Jesus implying/expecting? Does Jesus expect us to give to the poor/needy? Will there ever be an absence of people in need? What does Jesus say in John 12:8? What is our responsibility to those in need? How does Jesus describe those that give to the poor/needy in public? What did it mean to be a hypocrite? In what ways were they like actors/actresses wearing masks, pretending to be something they were not? Do we ever do this? You? For those that do this, what will be the result? What is Jesus’ expectation of those that are giving to the poor/needy? What is the anecdote for wrong motives? How do we ensure that we don’t do it for others to see? When we give to the poor/needy with the right heart and motives, what does God say He will do? If we give, because God rewards us, what does that do to our heart/motives? How do we maintain the healthy tension/balance? 3. When it comes to our finances should our focus be from an earthly perspective or an eternal one? Explain. What does it mean to lay your treasures up in heaven? Does this mean that we shouldn’t have a 401 (k), 503 (b), IRA, stocks, or any type of portfolio? Explain. What is Jesus addressing? How does the parable in Luke 12 (rich fool) inform our understanding? How important are our motives? Is Jesus against planning and preparing for the future? How do we ensure that as we plan and prepare for the future we do it with the right motives/heart? Explain. What does our spending habits and our finances reveal about our heart according to Jesus? What does your spending habits say about your heart? 4. What was the expectation/requirements for Jesus’ audience when it came to giving? What did the Mosaic/Levitical Law say about the tithe (1/10)? What does Lev. 27:30-34; Num. 18:21 & 26; Deut. 12 (jubilee); Deut. 14 (widows & orphans) say? Did you know there was actually three different tithes and that it added up to about 23% of their income? What does Jesus say in Matt. 23:23? How does this play into what Jesus is communication about giving here? What are Jesus’ expectations of us? Explain. How are you doing in the area of giving/generosity? Do you view money/wealth/possessions as your or God’s? Explain. How are we to be good stewards (managers) of God’s stuff? 5. Is having money or wealth wrong? Is money in and of itself good or bad? When does money become a problem according to Jesus? When Jesus says you can’t serve God and money, what does He mean? Where do you place your trust? Is it in God or material possessions? Does this ever create any tension for you? Do you ever fluctuate between the two? What should be our response? What does this text require of you/us? Growing Closer 1. Who is someone you shared the gospel with this week? 2. What have you been reading in your quiet times? 3. What has God been teaching you?
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